The invention concerns an arrangement for positioning flat articles, which are transported inside a container with straight sides.
When sorting and conveying flat articles, these are deposited at high speed into the container, for which process they must be slowed down. The same is true when sorting articles, e.g. letters and mailing pouches, into sorting compartments and for the transfer of articles into containers when changing the conveying principle, e.g. from transporting in a longitudinal direction to transporting in a lateral direction.
A solution is disclosed in German Patent DE 196 24 968.6, published Jan. 15, 1998, for which the articles in an intermediate storage area are placed horizontally into a bin, serving as a container. For this operation, flexible pieces of sheet metal that slow down and clamp in the articles are arranged at an angle inside the bin to slow down and position the articles. The articles are subjected to high mechanical stresses during this operation, which can destroy sensitive articles. Since the articles can have a varied thickness and mass, it is not possible to position them inside the bin, such that they are aligned. Providing an offset on the sheet metal piece for securing the position will exert too much stress on the articles, since the kinetic energy of the articles must be dissipated immediately, without buffering.